DNA tests rule out possible sources

PORTLAND – New tests show male DNA from murder victim Sarah Cherry’s fingernails did not come from any of the men who handled evidence in the case or from the man convicted more than a decade ago of the 12-year-old’s death.

The lawyer for Dennis Dechaine, who was sentenced to life in prison for the girl’s murder, plans to use the latest findings to bolster her case for a new trial under a state law that allows new trials based on DNA evidence that was not available at the time of a conviction.

The laboratory tests show that DNA from someone other than convicted killer Dennis Dechaine was found under Sara Cherry’s thumbnails. And the latest tests show that the DNA did not come from the medical examiner or others who handled the evidence.

The hearing on Dechaine’s bid for a new trial originally was expected to take place this spring, but has been pushed back to after Sept. 1.

To win a new trial, Dechaine has to meet a demanding three-part test: He must prove that the DNA evidence that excludes him could only have come from Cherry’s killer, that the evidence was properly handled and that it outweighs all of the other evidence that led to his conviction.